MM - Please, introduce the band to our readers.  Who are the members of Enemies Swe, when was the band formed and where do you call home? We are 5 guys from a small town called Skövde in Sweden with a lot of music in our hearts, who started to play together in 2001. The members are: Rickard - Vocals,  Marco - Drums, Simon - Guitar,  Pontus - Bass (new member since 2004),  Andreas - Guitar.

MM - How would you describe your style of music to someone who isn’t familiar with the band and who do you see your target audience as being?
We just play Rock n Roll, but you can call it whatever you want.  I think it is so many ‘names’ in music today.  I’ll remember when Ac/Dc was named “a punk group” from Australia by British press in the 70’s.  I don’t take that as detailed description of what their music stands for.  I want my audience to be honest. So if we suck, I hope they will be honest tell me that, but I’ll promise you that we try to kick everybody’s asses in the audience every time we play our songs.

MM - Where does the name ‘Enemies Swe’ originate from, and what does it represent? Can you remember any of the other names that were toyed with at the time?
I don’t like to explain about how many times we have changed our name, but I’ll give it a try (again).  First we called our band ‘Sludgebucket’, but People in Sweden couldn’t spell it or pronounce it.  It’s more like French word for them back home in Sweden.  So we changed it to The Enemies (I checked on internet, and that name was free to use).  A year ago our label got a mail from a management, they told our label that they got some ‘emoshitpunkhardcoreband’ from US called them self The Enemies.  They intend to sue the balls of us and our label if we try to keep our band name.  So we changed our name to Enemies Swe.  So it’s a long boring story.  Enemies is just a name to us, nothing else.

MM - The band are currently signed to Plugged records for the release of your debut album.  How well do you think you fit in with the label and its fellow bands?  What was it about Plugged records that made their offer the most attractive deal on the table?
I think we’re doing good at Plugged Records.  About the other bands: I don’t bother or care.  I don’t think non of them got what Enemies got.

MM - How does the songwriting process work within Enemies Swe?  Is it mainly one or two individuals, or more of a team effort?
Me and Marco did a lot of stuff on ‘Behind….’, but now we’re working more together.  First we do some of the music on our own, riffs, melodies and other stuff .  Then we try to jam them out in our rehearsal-room, to get the right feeling.  We didn’t do that before, but this is a new thing in our song writing.  We’re working a lot with the right feeling.  Just like the old bluesmen did.

MM - Your new album ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ sounds fabulous, would you like to tell us a little bit about each of the songs on it and any stories behind them?
Powertrain: Is just something that ‘runs you over’ It’s fast and heavy at the same time.  The lyric is stolen from ‘Volvo Powertrain’ we got this large engine company in our home town.  Marco is working there and he did a  ‘working class’ lyric for the song, just like Bon Scott did when he was alive.
Enemy: It’s a metal song with a hook, so It got to be our first single.  But It’s still a metal song….
Mainstream King: Southern rock meets Sleaze. Some Circus of Power vibes in it.
Sliced and diced: It’s the Guns n’ Roses ghost speaking through Enemies.  One of my favourites.  It’s a kick ass song!
Nasty Idol: My voice sounds like Zodiac Mindwarps´.  It’s not a Power ballad.  ‘Don’t believe everything you see’.   It’s about admire rock stars, they could be real assholes sometimes.  I admired a lot when I was a kid, they were my heroes then, but today some of them are real assholes.
Elvis in Brooklyn: It’s about Elvis obsessions.  I think the Americans have named a real disease ‘Elvis Obsession’, I saw it on TV.  Some people think they are Elvis or some people think he’s still alive or moved to mars or something.  So I wrote a lyric about that and I lend a lot from the original Elvis lyrics.
Superstar: Shotgun Messiah is a band (friends) from our hometown.  I think this song got a touch of their spirit.  They were good and Tim Sköld still rock with Marilyn Manson today.  Good work for a small town guy from Skövde.
Glam Star Cabaret: The first song we made, a mix between Ac/Dc and Faster Pussycat.
Back with the bullits: I don’t have so much to say about that one, I wrote some cliché words here and there.  I think Andreas has more history to tell about that song cause he wrote it.
Hello Hell: We tried to do a dark one with a ‘Hells Bells’ feeling, but It didn’t work out so well.  I think this song sounds more The Cult.  And that’s ok cause we like The Cult very much.
Rock n Roll School: Ac/dc, Kiss, Quireboys with a Ramones lyric.  Classic Rock till you drop.

MM - How long did it take for this new album to be created from the initial conception to the finished product?
Too long! One year of something.

MM - The band have performed live at a number of prestigious festivals in Sweden. How does it feel to take part in such huge festivals and perform your songs in front of so many people?
It feels great to play in front of so many people, but we like to play for a small audience too. I can say that we are not very particular about playing in full houses.

MM -Which song do your fans enjoy the being played live the most and why?
I think they like ‘Enemy’ best cause everybody could understand that song, it’s got that sing-along chorus.

MM - What are you listening to these days yourself? Old classics or modern bands? Do you ever listen to music that is very different from what you do, if so what?
We search every day for music to get inspired of. I just have discovered Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, really good blues.  I listen to Detroit, Chicago soul from the 60’s.  And I collect Glam/sleaze albums from the 80’s.  Last week I found a group called Dirty Looks from LA.  Not so good but hairy sleaze!! And I’ve got all Rod Stewart albums on vinyl today.  I think next album’s gonna get a touch of old British rock n’ roll from the 70’s Faces, Zeppelin, Stones.

MM - What's the 'grand plan' for your band? Are you aiming for anything like fame, fortune, artistic acceptance etc?
Our biggest goal is to get out of this goddamn country.  It’s so cold in the winter.

MM - In three words, how would your best friend describe you?
That I would be ‘Mr talk too much’ but nice.  I’m a very social person.

MM - I believe the bands song ’Hello Hell’ is to included on the sound track of the UK horror movie ’Demon Hunter’, wow that must be so exciting for you guys.  How did that come about?
I don’t know? I think our label must have sent a copy to right person or something?

MM - OK, a two part fun question now. (A) If you could have anyone locked in a room so that you could torture them for a day, whom would you choose, and how would you torture them?
I would choose the Gallagher brothers in Oasis.  I would torture them with playing Tigertailz songs over and over again.

(B) Now turn the tables. Who would you most like to be locked in a room with for a day and how would you like them to torture you?
(My god, not with Tigertailz songs). I think I would be locked in with Justin Hawkins. We could have falsetto duels.  I think I’m gonna lose big time. That’s a kind of torture.

MM - Tell us one thing about yourself that not many people know.
I’m a happy father. I’ve got a daughter called Indra. (named after a Indian thunder god).

 

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